A Phantom's Ice Core Can Hold Some of the Warmest Love
by 18-Midori-37
Summary: Danny and Danielle both have dreams about each other in an everyday father and daughter moment. But before they can even try to make those dreams a reality, there's just one problem that needs to be taken care of…DannyxDani father/daughter fic! And a bit of DannyxSam if you squint.
1. Chapter 1

Title: A Phantom's Ice Core Can Hold Some of the Warmest Love

Rating: T…I guess

Characters: Danny x Danielle father / daughter and perhaps some Danny x Sam if you squint

Words: 2332

Notes/Warnings: Hi all! So, this is my first Danny Phantom fic, I'm crazy nervous but excited all the same to share this story with you! As I stated above, this is a fic dealing with Danny and Dani in a father and daughter relationship that was inspired by the fabulous fics "Dani's Back", "Daughter of a Phantom", "The Phantom's Daughter", and "What I Want Most" by Jennythe3, The Storymaster1000, AkiTsuki-chan, and Les Lasagna, respectively! Oh and this is basically taking place sometime after D-Stabilized and is pretending that Phantom Planet doesn't exist, heh. So thanks for giving this a read in advance and I hope you enjoy!

Summary: Danny and Danielle both have dreams about each other in an everyday father and daughter moment. But before they can even try to make those dreams a reality, there's just one problem that needs to be taken care of…DannyxDani father/daughter fic! And a bit of DannyxSam if you squint.

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is not mine.

_The stars above twinkled gently as they illuminated the night time sky side by side with a crescent moon, who's light shined softly on the audience of two below. _

_Seated on the open grassy area staring up at the sky, Danny sighed in content, wrapping his arms a bit more tighter around the shoulders of the smaller female he held protectively against his chest. He could feel her body heat emanating from her back as she leaned against him, the aura around her humming with happiness. Deep inside himself he felt such a warmth within his heart that he couldn't help but smile._

_"You really enjoy watching the stars, don't you, Daddy?" She said no louder than a whisper, not wanting to disrupt the comforting silence that had fallen between them._

_"That's right, Danielle," He replied, not speaking any louder than she did._

_"I do too," She agreed, turning her head slightly so that she could see his face. "Especially when I'm with you, Daddy." _

_Danny's smile grew as she continued on. "Being half ghost does give me more of an advantage of being able to take care and protect myself, and while my goal is to become as strong as you so I won't be a burden, I can't help but just feel so happy and safe when I'm spending time with you like this."_

_"You're never a burden to me, Danielle," Danny began, looking her in the eye to be sure she understood. "It makes me glad to know you have a goal for yourself, but I'll still protect you no matter how strong you become because you're my daughter and I love you."_

_Danielle twisted in her father's embrace so she could wrap her arms around his neck in a hug._

_"I love you too, Daddy." _

The sound of the alarm clock at his bedside roused Danny from his dream, his eyes shooting open to be face-to-face with the noisy device. Letting out a groan as he noticed the time it displayed, Danny reached over and smacked the button atop the clock to silence it. Flopping back against his pillow, Danny stared at the ceiling as his thoughts wandered back to his dream.

_'What was _that_ all about...? Danielle called me 'daddy'…and I called her my daughter…?'_

As the initial surprise triggered by the unexpected dream wore off, Danny began to reflect on it in a more logical manner.

It had been some time since Danny last saw his female clone ––though he considered her as family seeing as she was far too important to him than just a mere clone. In any case it was a known fact that she shared his DNA, since that was what served as her foundation, so to speak, and thus Danny's ghost powers as well.

Given all the unusual and hectic circumstances that surrounded them during their first meeting regarding Vlad Plasmius's attempt to clone himself a son, the two young halfas had stuck with Dani's idea and considered each other as cousins from then on out.

Now with that dream turning the gears in his head, however, Danny had to wonder, could Danielle actually be his daughter? While it instantly angered him as he thought back to Vlad's words about Danielle being a mistake, now outside the moment, Danny took attention to those words in another light in that they could possibly explain his relationship with Danielle.

What Vlad had wanted was a compliant replica of Danny, a son, and while Danielle undoubtedly shared his DNA, she was female, younger: in short, clearly not Danny. She was another person, her _own_ person, and far from a mindless clone, who was given life as a result of his DNA.

No matter how he looked at it, all the facts were staring him in face.

_'She is my daughter...!'_

The realization brought a hesitant yet genuine smile on Danny's face.

_'Wow, I'm a dad at fourteen. I never thought that would happen and especially not like this.'_

He chuckled to himself, thinking about how this wasn't the first time things occurred in his life in an unexpected manner. Moving past the irony of the matter, however, Danny couldn't help as his thoughts turned slightly unpleasant as he wondered where said daughter was.

In both instances prior when Danielle was at Danny's side, she had come and gone, claiming that as a halfa she would be fine on her own and went off to explore the world. While he could understand her desire to do so, it never did sit entirely OK with Danny for her to go off all alone. But he didn't have the heart to stop her in going to make memories outside of being in danger and scared. So he'd simply told her to be careful and watched as she went off to have an adventure of her own choosing.

Given that he finally realized what their relationship to each other truly is on top of that and, well, despite the fact that he didn't really understand what it took to be a father, he felt he was already off to a bad start by letting Danielle go off on her own like that.

_'Well, I'm just going to have to do something about that now aren't I?'_

Danny smiled to himself as he once again recalled the warmth he felt inside him in his dream as he held Danielle close. He may not know much about being a father but he was sure going to be a quick learner about it because if he was sure about one thing, it was that he did without a doubt want to be Danielle's father, to be the someone to protect her and make her smile.

Another glance at the clock kicked Danny into motion and after a couple stretches atop his bed, he swung his legs off the side and stood with a sigh as he got himself ready for a new day.

-0-o-0-

_The birds perched on the nearby trees cheerfully chirped, their song caught in the passing breeze and carried down to the two people below. _

_With a green kite gripped in her left hand and the reel of string in her right, Danielle took off at a sprint, her arm holding the kite stretched up above her head. After a couple moments Danielle released the kite into the air, hoping it took flight._

_She let out an excited shout as she successfully got her kite flying up high in sky, turning the reel to lengthen the string to keep up with the pull of the wind on the kite. Not to far away Danny stood as he watched her excitement, a big smile on his face._

_"Daddy, look! I did it!"_

_Danny nodded as he made his way towards her where she stood. Upon reaching her side, Danny placed a hand on her shoulder, watching as her face beamed with delight. She turned to smile brightly at Danny before having her attention drawn back to the green kite, its cloth illuminated from behind with the rays of the sun._

_"It's interesting, isn't it Danielle?" Danny asked. "Even though we can easily fly ourselves, it's still fun to watch other things be free in the air like this." _

_"Yeah!" She agreed. "Even though I'm half ghost, I have a lot of fun doing human things too!"_

_"I'm glad you think that way, Danielle. Your human side is just as much a part of you as your ghost side is."_

_Danielle nodded as she began to reel in the kite. "Yup! And thanks to that there is so many more fun things I can do together with you, Daddy!"_

_Danny's smile grew as he placed both his hands on either of her shoulders, giving her a tender squeeze. _

_Once she retrieved her kite from the grown where she got it to land gently, she picked it up with both hands, holding it to her chest as she giggled, enjoying the warmth on the kite in her hands._

_"Thank you for teaching me how to fly a kite, Daddy!"_

_"Anything to make my daughter smile."_

A bright light shining on her face drew Danielle out of her dream. As she opened her eyes she realized the source was from the first rays of sunshine starting to shine through the cracks of the old door of the abandoned shack she had found as shelter. Sitting up to stretch, Danielle felt that a few strands from the hay pile she had used as a bed had stuck to her hair and clothes. She went intangible for a brief moment so as to allow the strands to slip off her.

Danielle noticed that she had felt cold, shivering uncontrollably despite the sunlight on her skin. She hoped some sun bathing would do the trick and went outside to find a nice open space to warm up. She found a fairly large sized rock and hopped on top, rolling up her sleeves to make sure her skin could get as warmed up as possible.

As she soaked up the sunlight and tried to get her teeth to stop clattering, Danielle thought back to her dream.

_'That dream…it was so weird! Why was I calling Danny 'daddy'? And why was he calling me his daughter?'_

Danielle understood all too well that as a clone, she had no parents. Sure, Vlad had created her and for a time she had called him 'dad,' but she didn't know any better at the time, and in any case, in her mind he didn't count as a father, especially not after the way he treated, used, and almost killed her. But Danny on the other hand, he was special, someone she trusted and someone she knew deep down would always help her because he didn't see her as just a clone or a mistake, but a person. She and Danny are cousins, _family_.

The more Danielle traveled, however, the more she came to think about a few things. Given how she saw other families behave around each other and given everything she and Danny have gone through, she had to wonder if perhaps there really was a deeper meaning behind her and Danny's relationship beyond just 'the original' and 'the clone' that considered each other to be cousins.

She may have called Vlad her dad at one point, yet all he ever felt towards her was that she was a tool, and ultimately, a mistake––hardly what she figured a father should feel towards a daughter. Danny, on the other hand, from the beginning had done so much for her. He had done all he could to prove to her what Vlad's true feelings really were, helped her escape Vlad's clutches and be free, and even gave her a second chance at life when he put forth so much effort to save her when should couldn't save herself. Everything Danny did for her, all the care and concern he showed for her, it really meant a great deal to Danielle and it seemed, she meant a great deal to Danny, regardless of the fact that she shared his DNA. Put his actions together with their shared genetics…

_'So…Danny really is my father…!'_

Danielle's hands rose up to her mouth as she gasped, the understanding hitting her instantly and making her smile wide from the happiness the realization suddenly sprang forth.

_'I have a father…I have a father! I can't believe it!'_

It was obvious to her that from the beginning that she was different and her travels had only confirmed that she wasn't like other girls. Yet she knew she also had something they didn't: ghost powers. That used to make her feel a bit better in the beginning, but not anymore. Now, however, she finally did have something in common with other girls in that she did have a father! The more she thought about Danny though, the more she began to miss him terribly.

She then realized that while Danny being her father in her mind was all fine and dandy for her, but what about him? Even so, the urge to see Danny began to grow to great for her to bare, and with a nod of her head, Danielle transformed into her ghost self and shot up into the air, heading Danny's way.

Whether she was going to explain to Danny what she thought about him being her father or not was something she would decide once she got there. Right now, all she really wanted was to spend some time with him. In her excitement in going to see Danny, however, Danielle didn't realize how still so very cold she was and how ice shards began to form on her fingertips and bangs despite racing through the warm morning sky.


	2. Chapter 2

Title: A Phantom's Ice Core Can Hold Some of the Warmest Love

Rating: T…I guess

Characters: Danny x Danielle father / daughter and perhaps some Danny x Sam if you squint

Words: 2666

Notes/Warnings: Thank you so much to everyone who reviewed, faved, and/or followed my fic! I really appreciate it and hope I don't disappoint you! I had planned on getting this next chapter up yesterday, but it was the parent's anniversary, so that didn't happen, got caught up in all the fun~ XD I hope to get a chapter up once a week, but don't hold me to that ^^; So without further ado, I present chapter 2! Thanks in advance and I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is not mine.

'_Well this is turning out to be one interesting day and school hasn't even started yet!'_

Danny smirked to himself at his thoughts, reaching Casper High's campus in record time. After giving the grounds a once over, he found a suitable hiding spot behind a tree and flew down undetected, invisibility in place. Confirming that there was no one around to see, he changed back to his human half with ease, making his way to the entrance, which, thanks to the surprising lack of ghost attacks in the morning on his way to school, made it so that he didn't have to crash through the front doors in a mad dash to try and get to class on time.

The hallways crowded with high school students were as noisy as usual, teens going to and fro around Danny as he walked to his locker. He made sure to pay just enough attention to not run into anyone (especially any annoying jocks) but nothing more, since he was happily preoccupied with replaying his dream over and over again in his mind; both it and the new understanding that came with said dream leaving quite the peculiar yet pleasant impact on him.

Danny imagined that for anyone else, having clones being made in their image without their consent would be disturbing enough, but to find out that they also gained a child as a result of that cloning process? That could surely be a scarring event.

Yet for Danny, it was a different.

Sure, he had found it creepy that Vlad had gone so far as to try and clone him, but hey, the act was right up fruitloop alley, and looking at it from the perspective of a half ghost who's dealt with a number of creepy things, whether it be fruitloop's or just unusual matters overall, they were all becoming a part of Danny's everyday normal. So while figuring out that Danielle is his daughter was an eye-opener, he wasn't about to freak out over it like it was a bad thing. Quite the opposite, to know that Danielle is his daughter was nothing short of heartwarming for various reasons.

With Vlad as his enemy, Danny was virtually alone in the world as a hybrid. It didn't exactly bother Danny, considering he received plenty of help from his friends, sister, and allies in the ghost zone when it came to his half ghost self. But now Danielle was here. Now Danny was no longer alone, and neither was she. Danny may be the more experienced of the two when it came to living as a half ghost, but just the fact alone that there was someone else out there in the world like him (who wasn't trying to kill him or get him involved in evil plots) was comforting to say the least. As the only two in the world, they could understand, experience, and learn things from each other on levels no one else but the two of them could, and that wasn't even taking into consideration the fact that they are related.

Danny hardly knew anything about parenting, but the desire to be a father figure to Danielle beyond genetics was undeniable. Perhaps this parental desire was a branch-off from his hero complex and having ghost powers. He certainly hadn't known anything about being a hero or fighting ghosts when he gained his powers. Even so, he had been determined to learn along the way and not soon after had succeeded to the point of being considered as the protector of Amity Park (give or take about a handful of people who thought otherwise). For that reason, he believed he could without a doubt come to do the same when it came to being a parent, and he could start by learning from his parents and his own experience on what to do and, more so, what _not _to do. Really, if he stopped to consider about it, how different was being a parent from being a hero?

If his dream was any indication about what being a parent could be like at the end of the day, past all the peculiarities and hardships that would come their way as the only half ghost father and daughter in existence, Danny figured that, just as being a hero at such a young age, being a parent would be completely worth it.

Somewhere along the way Danny got the feeling he was making quite the funny expression as he walked about the hallway, but he couldn't care, and just made sure to be moving to his destination at a fairly fast pace, perfectly content to be lost in his thoughts.

It wasn't long before Tucker's familiar voice called out "Hey, Danny!" as he came up to the black haired teen, placing a hand on his right shoulder. Danny blinked twice, coming back to reality and sending a smile at one of his two best friends.

"Hey, Tuck!" Danny greeted brightly, stopping in front of his locker at last and turning the dial to enter his combination.

"Hi, guys!" Sam called out from further down the hall once she spotted her two friends. Both Tucker and Danny turned in her direction and smiled at their other best friend as she came up to stand next to Tucker, books held against her chest.

"Wow, it's surprising to see you here so early, Danny," Sam remarked. Danny shrugged, closing his locker with the necessities for his first class in his hands.

Tucker stared blankly for a second before the understanding hit him. "Oh, yeah, dude! What gives?" Tucker asked, adding. "Not that it's a bad thing."

"Well, there were no ghost attacks on my way to school." Danny explained simply.

His two friends blinked at his explanation. That certainly hasn't happened in who knows how long. But they figured they wouldn't look a gift horse in the mouth and just be glad their friend got a much needed break. From there, the trio of friends made their way through the hallway in silence, walking beside each other with Danny in the center. At his right, Tucker was fiddling around with his PDA; to his left, Sam shuffled her hold on her books in her arms.

After a couple moments of silence, Sam glanced over to her two friends. While there was nothing out of the ordinary with Tucker, Danny seemed a bit odd. If his expression was any indication, he seemed to be unusually cheerful. It wasn't a bad thing in Sam's opinion, but she couldn't help but be curious as to what was triggering the happy, almost goofy look on his face.

"Danny?" Sam spoke. No response.

The more she observed him the more it became clear that while Danny was staring straight ahead, he wasn't seeing a thing. He was too deep in his thoughts.

"Danny!" She tried again, waving a hand in front of his eyes. When Danny's shoulders jerked she knew she got his attention.

"Whoa," He gasped. Danny turned to look at his friend puzzled. "What's up, Sam?"

"That's what I'd like to know. Did something happen?"

Tucker looked away from his PDA, stirring his attention back to his friends as he listened in, trying to figure out what they were talking about. Danny looked at Sam with his ice blue eyes for all about three seconds before he rubbed the back of his neck in a sort of bashful way. He had been so caught up in the thoughts floating pleasantly in his head that it had slipped his mind to share them with his trusted friends. After all, they of all people definitely needed to know.

"Actually, now that you mention it Sam, there is something I need to tell you guys."

Sam and Tucker leaned in close to Danny, brushing against his arms as they listened, his voice loud enough just for his friends to hear under the cover of all the noise around them. As they made their way to a more empty part of the hallway, Danny described his dream and the understanding he came to as a result of it. Glancing from left to right and back again to take in both Sam's and Tucker's expressions, Danny mentally chuckled as the more he explained, the wider their mouths gawked in shock. In any case, he was just glad that as shocked as they were, they seemed to believe him.

By the time they found a corner of the hallway all by its lonesome, Danny had finished his explanation. Tucker and Sam looked between themselves and Danny several times as their friend's words sunk in.

"Dude…!" Tucker breathed.

"D-Danielle…she's…!" Sam muttered.

Danny nodded. "She's my daughter."

-0-o-0-

Danny took in a couple deep breaths as he zoomed through the late evening sky, the air rushing past him rejuvenating his body that was stuck in a sitting position within the prison called school. With his best friends on the ground and Danny high in the sky, the trio went about their nightly patrol of the place they called home for any signs of ghosts. Tonight, however, there wasn't so much as a peep for the past couple hours.

Thanks to that, Danny had plenty of time to further indulge himself in his thoughts from this morning. There was one matter in particular, however, that increasingly nagged at him as the day went on: the whereabouts of his daughter. Here he was thinking about how he was determined to become a good parent, yet the one to receive his parenting was nowhere to be found. That's why he decided upon leaving school today that he would go look for Danielle.

Naturally, he didn't know where to start looking so who knows how long it would take to find her. But what choice did he have? He understood how tricky it would be to have her around and to keep things under wraps when it was hard enough to keep his own identity hidden. He figured that the things he needed to provide for her would be many in number and perhaps tricky to obtain. With all this combined he worried this lifestyle he could offer Danielle would be far from satisfactory.

When Danny thought about how uncomfortable he felt letting Danielle going off on her own, however, it caused various questions to pop up in his mind. Was she eating properly? Did she have a roof over her head? What if she was in danger, needed help, yet unable to seek him out? It was these worries that fueled his resolve, helped him believe that in some way or another, having her near and working with such a lifestyle the best they could would be the lesser of the two evils versus her being out on the streets alone.

Danny knew that trying to find Danielle with nothing to go on was being reckless, but he felt it had to be done. He just wouldn't know what to do with himself otherwise, not after these revelations. He had to try, and he planned on doing so first thing tomorrow night. Once he got his friend's and sister's cooperation in covering for him as he ultimately disappeared for a weekend at a time, he aimed to search high and low until he found Danielle.

"How's it looking on your end, Danny?" Sam's voice came in through the Fenton Phone on his left ear, her words bringing him back to the matter at hand: night patrol.

"All clear as far as I can tell, Sam," Danny supplied. "How about you guys?"

"All clear, dude!" Said Tucker.

"Same here," replied Sam. "Looks like the ghosts are taking a break today."

"Maybe they are," Danny said at length.

Coming to a stop floating high above the streets, Danny turned his head every which way, green eyes narrowed as he scanned the surrounding area, being as thorough as possible to be sure he didn't miss any sign of ghost threats.

"Let's face it, Danny. We've been out here for hours already without any action." Tucker began. "We should call it a night and head to the Nasty Burger for some grub. With all this running around, I'm starved!"

"Sounds good to me," Sam chimed in.

With one more scan from his vantage point in the air resulting in an all clear, Danny nodded to himself, figuring it was okay to call off patrol for the night.

"Alright, guys," Danny agreed, chuckling when he heard Tucker's cry of joy followed by the growling of his stomach. "We'll meet up there."

Just as he was about to speed off in the direction of the Nasty Burger, Danny caught some motion from the corner of his eye and stopped, given only enough time to turn around as that something slammed into his chest at full speed, the impact sending him flying backwards a ways before managing to bring himself to a stop.

"What the…?!" Danny gasped, looking down at the thing that had struck him to only do a double take in disbelief.

There, gripping the front of his jumpsuit breathing heavily with her head against his left shoulder was Danielle.

"You alright, Danny?" Sam asked after hearing his voice but unable to make out what he said.

"Yeah," Danny responded. "But, uh, guys? We're going to have to hold off on the food…"

"Why?" Tucker whined.

"Because I just got crashed into by Danielle––literally––and she doesn't look too good."

"What?!" Sam and Tucker exclaimed loudly, making Danny grimace from the sharp volume causing his left ear to ring.

All the while this conversation went on, Danny had placed his hands on small, trembling shoulders, turning his head to get a better look at Danielle who was still clinging to him tightly, her eyes shut tight. She was shivering profoundly; her face was extremely pale ––practically blue––and she felt ice cold to the touch. Upon closer inspection, Danny saw ice shards on her white hair and cheeks.

"Dani…?" Danny said, trying to get her to open her eyes.

She was so cold, her focus was long gone and her consciousness was quickly slipping away. It took her sluggish mind a couple moments to realize that someone was holding her, calling out her name. '_Who is it…?'_ Her brain answered Danny as the voice spoke again. Hoping with her last shred of consciousness that she heard right, she managed to whisper the words, "H-Help me, Da-Daddy…" before blacking out.

"Danielle?!"

Panic inched into Danny's voice as he wrapped his arms around her when her body went slack, preventing her from falling. Between Daniele's condition and his own frantic emotions, his mind became a mess.

"What's going on, Danny? Where are you?" Tucker questioned when he heard Danny's alarmed voice.

Danny couldn't answer; his mind went blank. "I..uh…"

Then, suddenly, it hit him.

'_Wait…shivering, ice shards…this is…!'_

Gathering Danielle up in his arms bridal-style, Danny shot off through the calm night, his mind working a mile a minute as he planned out how to get Danielle the help she needed.

"Guys, I'm taking Danielle back to my place. Meet me there as soon as you can because I'm going to need your help," Danny directed firmly, doing his best to compose himself now that he knew what needed to be done.

"Okay, dude, we're on our way," Tucker answered.

"Don't worry, Danny," Said Sam, trying to calm him down. "We'll get there as soon as we can."

"Thanks, guys."

"And hey," Sam continued. "Danielle's your daughter after all, she's tough, so she'll be fine. We'll make sure of it."

Danny glanced down to the young half ghost in his arms at Sam's reassuring words, a smile crossing his face despite the situation, relieved at least that he didn't have to wonder about her whereabouts any longer.

'_Don't worry Dani, I promise I'll make everything better. You're not alone anymore and you won't be ever again. I'll protect you.'_


	3. Chapter 3

Title: A Phantom's Ice Core Can Hold Some of the Warmest Love

Rating: T…I guess

Characters: Danny x Danielle father / daughter and perhaps some Danny x Sam if you squint

Words: 2719

Notes/Warnings: And we've reached chapter 3! W00T! I'm so proud of myself ^/^ haha. Hope my readers from the USA had a great Fourth of July, and for the rest of my readers, a fantastic week! I was worried for a bit that I might not be able to post this chapter on time since there's a power outage at my house today, but thankfully my nina (godmother) is putting me up for the night and she still has power. That and tomorrow, I have to attend the bridal shower of my brother's fiancé, which equals no time for fic matters. XD Well, enough about that. Thanks again so much to all of you who have reviewed, faved, and/or followed my fic! I really do appreciate it! Thus, I present to you, chapter 3! Thanks for reading in advance and I hope you enjoy! ^w^

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is not mine.

Pounding on the front door of Fenton Works with urgency, Sam and Tucker needed to wait only moments until Jazz came to open it, greeting them with a questioning gaze.

"Sam? Tucker?" Was all she was able to get out as the two teens rushed right passed her.

"Sorry, Jazz! No time to explain," Sam threw over her shoulder as she and Tucker made their way up the stairs to Danny's room.

Slamming the door open, the two teens entered to find their halfa friend sitting on the right edge of his bed with an unwell looking Danielle under the covers, both in their ghost form. Danny looked up to face them, noting how fast they arrived despite not being able to fly like he could, and smiled at them gratefully. His two friends went over to his side, both putting a hand on either of Danny's shoulders as they took in Danielle's condition for themselves.

"Danny? Are you okay?" Came Jazz's voice as she pushed open the door and let herself in. Before she could even get a good look at the scene in front of her, she felt a gentle but firm tug on her right wrist that drew her further inside the room, Danny's bedroom door closing behind her.

Blinking, Jazz looked up to see Danny floating above her, his left arm outstretched behind her as he closed the door shut, the other holding her wrist. It was then she looked straight ahead to his bed where she thought she saw someone sleeping and let out a gasp, not quite sure what to make of the small girl in the bed who looked so much like her little brother.

Jazz jerked slightly when Danny let himself drift down to the floor in front of her, pulling her attention away from the bed and back to himself. He knew where Jazz had been looking and let out a sigh before staring his big sister in the eyes.

"Jazz, I understand I have a lot of explaining to do, and I intend to, but right now, I need you along with Sam and Tucker to help me," Danny stated firmly, a hint of pleading slipping into his voice. "It's important."

While a dozen questions had formed in Jazz's mind the instant she had laid eyes on the young girl in Danny's bed, her little brother's serious demeanor coupled with the sincerity and concern in his eyes made those questions die on her tongue. All she could understand was that something was wrong and, more so, Danny saw fit to ask Jazz for help…and that was enough for her right now.

Jazz sent a smile to Danny. "All right, little brother," She said, putting a hand on his shoulder and giving it a affectionate squeeze. "What do you need?"

Danny returned her smile, covering her hand with his gloved one. He then floated up so he could see everyone in the room.

"First off, I need you guys to do whatever you can to get my parents out of the lab and out of the house for preferably a couple hours. After that, Sam and Tucker will head down to the lab and get the Specter Speeder ready and supplied for a long trip into the Ghost Zone for all of us."

Sam and Tucker nodded as they made their way over to Jazz's side at the door.

"Jazz, I'm going to need you to pack up some food for us. The three of us haven't eaten since dinner and we've been doing a lot of running around the streets on patrol. Both Tucker, who's got a long drive ahead of him being navigator, and Danielle," Danny paused, glancing over his shoulder to where Danielle laid in his bed motionless save for her uncontrollable shivering. "Who I imagine hasn't eaten much from the looks of it, could really use it."

Jazz nodded. "Okay."

"Thanks, dude," Tucker said, noticing how Danny really has gotten better at being considerate. "But where are we going exactly?"

"To Frostbite," Danny answered.

At that, his trusted friends and sister opened his door and ran out of his room making a beeline for the lab. He closed the door behind them, listening as their footsteps became more distant. Danny turned sharply in the air at the sound of Danielle's soft groan. He frowned as he made his way towards the bedside again. He really did understand she was going to be okay now that he knew what was wrong, but he couldn't help but be on edge and upset at the discomfort he knew Danielle was in.

Through the Fenton Phone still in his left ear, Danny could make out some of the frantic nonsense his friends and sister were making up to convince his parents to go capture a ghost they saw in town. It didn't take much to accomplish that, and within a minute he heard the front door slam shut followed by Tucker's voice telling him it was all clear.

Danny gently moved his arms underneath Danielle, blanket and all, wrapping her up in a bundle to try to help alleviate the cold, though he knew it wasn't going to do much good. Holding her securely in his arms as he did before, Danny turned himself and Danielle intangible and floated though the floor, heading straight for the lab.

He entered the lab through its ceiling, turned visible, and stayed floating above as he watched Tucker and Sam make their way about the lab as much experts as his parents. Through the window of the Spector Speeder he could see Tucker, his brows furrowed in concentration, pushing buttons left and right on his PDA which was connected to the dashboard, entering what he imagined where the coordinates to Frostbite that he had programed from their first unplanned visit. Sam was busy packing up supplies and hand held weapons for everyone in a backpack, which was essential should they run into trouble along the way.

'_Wow, what _would _I do without them?' _Danny thought, grinning to himself.

Not too long after, they both gave Danny the thumbs up. "We're ready, Danny!"

Danny nodded, turning to the lab's entryway when Jazz appeared with a picnic basket in her hands. "The food is all set!" She said as she reached the last step, not wasting a second as she headed towards to Specter Speeder. At that, Danny made his way over as well, phasing through the side and situating himself on the floor behind the seat with Danielle placed atop his lap and held to his chest. Sam joined Tucker, already in the driver's seat, in the front followed by Jazz, both placing their respective backpack and basket on their laps.

"Before we take off," Tucker spoke up, stretching his hand towards Jazz. "Could I have a little of whatever you packed in there? I could really use a bite."

Danny was about to snap at Tucker for unnecessary stalling but managed to keep his mouth shut when he knew it was just his concern over Danielle talking. It was Tucker who was going to get them to Frostbite the fastest, after all.

Jazz nodded, opening the lid of the basket and pulling out a sandwich with an assortment off different meat slices.

"Here you go, Tucker. There's another one in there for you if you want it. I made two sandwiches for everyone, making them to everyone's taste," Jazz said, glancing to Sam, who got the message and nodded gratefully.

After downing his sandwich with lighting speed, Tucker wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, letting out a content sigh.

"Everyone ready?" Tucker asked, looking back over his shoulder at Danny, waiting for his signal.

Danny nodded. "Let's go."

And not a moment later they were off, plunging straight into the Ghost Zone at full speed.

-0-o-0-

Jazz stared between Danny to Danielle––still unconscious in Danny's arms––and back again as she digested his words in silence. If it wasn't for everything she's seen and experienced growing up and, all the more reason, everything recently with her little brother being half ghost, she probably wouldn't have believed Danny's explanation of how Danielle came to be and their newly understood relationship as father and daughter.

But she did believe him, and the more she watched Danny stare down at the young girl in his arms tenderly, the more she began to admire and feel proud of him for reasons she couldn't exactly explain. If she had to try, she'd say that perhaps it was because of his courage, big heart, and just overall willingness to do so much for others. Though it was a bit unsettling to Jazz that Danny _choose_ to take on the role of a father so soon, she couldn't help but think positively over the whole matter.

'_Because whether he realizes it or not, he's off to a great start,' _She thought with a smile. 

Danny looked up when he felt eyes on him and was surprised at seeing Jazz smiling at him so earnestly despite the quite unusual things he just finished explaining to her. He had looked away right after he finished, averting his attention to Danielle as he gave his big sister some time with her thoughts. It seemed like she didn't need much time, however, given the gentle expression she sent him and thus he returned her smile.

Sam grinned to herself as she watched the exchange between the two siblings over her shoulder. After she gave them another moment, Sam cleared her throat, getting Danny's attention, and twisted around in her seat to face him so she could ask the one question that had been on her mind for a while.

"So why _are_ we going to Frostbite, Danny?" She figured there was a good reason, to be sure, but that didn't get her anywhere in figuring it out. Tucker picked up his head slightly at that, wanting to hear this conversation, all the while keeping his eyes ahead of him as he stirred the Specter Speeder clear of random rocks and doors. Jazz merely sat still, waiting for some sort of explanation since she was still quite lost on that matter.

Sam's question managed to catch Danny off guard for a second as he realized he didn't rightfully explain the reason. He had assumed they knew why but thinking back, there was no way really for them to have known given the circumstances.

"Ah, well actually it was Frostbite who showed me how to control my fully awakened ice powers."

That certainly got their attention. Sure Sam and Tucker knew that Danny had ice powers, but they never knew about how he got them. Jazz, on the other hand, wasn't aware in the slightest.

"Wait, 'fully awakened'…?" Tucker quoted.

"Yeah," Danny began explaining in detail. "My ghost core consists of ice and my ghost sense has actually been a part of my ice powers all along. On the day that Undergrowth attacked, I woke up extremely cold, couldn't stop shivering, and as I battled him, I had trouble just trying to fly because I was so cold."

Danny continued. "With my ice core acting up and Undergrowth being hard to defeat, I wasn't able to protect you guys and everyone except me fell into Undergrowth's control. I escaped into the Ghost Zone and in a daze somehow managed to reach Frostbite. I lost consciousness when I arrived and the next thing I knew, I wake up in the medical facility of the Far Frozen. Frostbite helped heal me up and, afterwards, trained me in using my powers. I came back home as soon as I was ready and defeated Undergrowth by freezing his roots," Danny's expression softened as he recalled the incident. "Thankfully, you guys were okay once you were freed."

Both Sam and Tucker thought back to that moment as well, when they both came to next to each other on the grass trying to figure out what happened when only moments later, Danny appeared.

"_Hey, are you guys okay?"_ He had asked them then.

Danny's expression and glowing blue appearance made even more sense to them now since they understood what Danny had gone through beforehand. Sam smiled to herself as she personally remembered how upon finding them, Danny had formed an ice diamond and gave it to her expressing how relieved he was to know she was safe. Little did anyone else know, she still had that ice diamond hidden in her room, perfectly preserved as one of her few treasured items.

When Jazz had come out from being controlled, she was surrounded by her parents and others who were just as confused as she was. While she had understood that something ghost related had happened and that it was Danny who saved them, she hardly knew the details, until now.

"So now, since I stabilized Danielle's body with Dad's Ecto-Dejecto serum, I'm guessing her body is going to begin to properly develop and her powers will start to awaken. That's why, with her ice core is acting up like mine did, I'm taking her to Frostbite. This way, she can learn how to control her powers. And in any case, should she need help for whatever reason, she'll be familiar with an ally of mine in the Ghost Zone who she can rely on along with you guys here in our world," Danny finished.

The teen halfa blinked in surprise when he felt his hair being ruffled by his sister as she reached over the seat.

"Well I for one am grateful for everything you went through to save us. Thanks, Danny," Jazz said followed by Sam's and Tucker's own expressions of gratitude.

"So now," Jazz declared, looking down at Danielle. "It's time for us to help you save your daughter."

-0-o-0-

After what felt like forever to Danny (when in reality was just about half an hour) the group arrived in the Realm of the Far Frozen, this time landing without crashing. Upon exiting the Spector Speeder, Sam reached into her backpack and handed Tucker and Jazz each a jacket. Once they were dressed for the cold, Danny lead the way to the village by air, Danielle still in his arms. Not too soon after they began their trek, some tribesmen of the Far Frozen on guard found them. Recognizing Danny, they immediately bowed and escorted the group to the village. They were taken directly to Frostbite who was standing guard together with two other tribesmen near the village.

"Great One!" Frostbite exclaimed upon setting eyes on Danny.

"Hey, Frostbite," Danny greeted as he floated down to stand before his giant friend.

"To what do we of the Far Frozen owe the honor of your visit?"

"I'm sorry for always coming unexpectedly," Danny began. "But I need your help."

"It is no trouble, Great One. We are always willing to assist you," Frostbite said with a shake of his clawed hand. "What is it that you require of us?"

Danny smiled at his reassurance. "For starters, my daughter needs to be placed inside the de-icing chamber and treated," Danny instructed as he motioned to Danielle, extending his arms slightly towards Frostbite.

As Danny expected, his words caught his furry friend by surprise.

"Your daughter, you say?" Frostbite pondered aloud, leaning down to get a better look at the young girl in Danny's arms.

He certainly didn't suspect the halfa to be lying; it was just unexpected to be sure. Even if he did suspect him to be lying, one look at the girl was all it took to confirm Danny's statement. The resemblance was striking and when he noticed the same 'symptoms' on the young girl that Danny himself had not too long ago, it both convinced him further as well as helped him understand the reason for Danny's visit.

Frostbite met Danny's eyes and nodded as he gently took Danielle from her father's arms. "I understand, Great One."

He then gave orders to the two tribesmen beside him to go send word to those in the medical facility to prepare the chamber. With that done, he turned back to Danny offering him a reassuring smile.

"Not to worry, Great One. She shall be in good hands."


	4. Chapter 4

Title: A Phantom's Ice Core Can Hold Some of the Warmest Love

Rating: T…I guess

Characters: Danny x Danielle father / daughter and perhaps some Danny x Sam if you squint

Words: 1864

Notes/Warnings: Well, that was interesting… this chapter seemed set on giving me a hard time. I hope it doesn't disappoint and I apologize for the shortness of it in comparison to my other chapters! I imagine things will certainly get interesting in the next chapter or two. Thank you all once again for following, faving, and reviewing, I appreciate it a bunch! And thanks as well for giving this a read in advance and I hope you enjoy! (Update: Oh and check out my profile, there's the link to my DA where I uploaded the cover pic for this story. ^^)

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is not mine.

Consciousness slowly made its way back to Danielle and as her sluggish mind began to move again, the first thing she began to wonder was if she hit her head. It felt unusually heavy while the rest of her body seemed to be floating on its own power. Her vision was blurry upon opening her eyes. Different shapes and colors blended together and she couldn't tell what was what until things began to take focus. It was then she took notice of herself and her surroundings.

Mainly, how she was dressed in a sort of hospital gown rather than her black and white clothes even though she was in her ghost form; the extra weight on her head, she realized, was a helmet that allowed her to breathe while submerged in a green-blue colored solution enclosed by glass. Danielle became more alarmed by the second as she took in the sight before her of a room that looked like a laboratory with giant white furry creatures walking about. Just where in the world was she?

"Danielle!"

She gasped when she heard a dear and familiar voice call out her name followed by the owner of the voice himself suddenly appearing before her, floating at eye level with her from the opposite side of the glass with a beaming smile on his face.

"Daddy…!"

Danielle reached out to Danny, pressing her hands against the glass, the panic she felt coming on just seconds ago instantly disappearing the moment she laid eyes on him. Danny's expression softened as he placed his gloved hands where Danielle's were on the glass.

"It's okay, Danielle. You're going to be fine. I brought you to one of my friends in the Ghost Zone so they could help you."

"_H-Help me, Da-Daddy…"_

Her own words came back to her as did the events that occurred before she lost consciousness. She remembered having rushed off to see Danny after waking up from an unusual dream to only be met with difficulty as her body become colder and colder, making it hard to fly properly. Having a feeling that things would turn out bad for her should she not get to Danny soon, Danielle had pushed herself to the max, flying as fast as she could despite the cold.

The longer she flew the colder she became and had she not been so determined to get to Danny, she might have not made it. When she reached––or rather crashed––into him, she was no longer in control of her body, practically freefalling with her energy completely zapped and her consciousness not too far behind. After she had whispered out her plea to Danny, everything went dark.

Now she was here––wherever _here_ was––and Danny was with her, and that was enough to put her at ease.

"Thank you, Daddy."

This time Danielle caught the word she said in place of his name, however, and her eyes widened, a green blush surfacing on her cheeks as she put her hands on the front of the helmet to hide her face. Danielle stumbled over her words as she tried to make up an excuse but Danny's chuckle interrupted her.

"There's nothing wrong with what you said, Danielle."

Danielle's head jerked up, her eyes even wider as she started at Danny questioningly, unsure if she heard right and hesitant to believe his words if she did. "What…?"

Danny was okay with her calling him 'daddy'? But she didn't even get to tell him anything! So how did he know? More over, why was he so accepting of it? Shouldn't he be weirded out or something? She wasn't even sure that she wanted to go through with telling Danny in the first place! Was he accepting of it out of pity or because he felt he had to?

Danny could easily read the unspoken questions running through Danielle's mind by the uncertain and, behind that, flicker of hopefulness in her gaze. With his smile still ever present and eyes locked with Danielle's, Danny spoke again in earnest.

"There's nothing wrong with what you said, Danielle, because it's true. I'm your father and I'm going to take care of you. I promise."

Her reaction was instantaneous; the joy in her heart spilled over from the corners of her eyes as her bottom lip quivered, wishing for nothing more but to be free from the glass chamber so she could hug Danny tight. She didn't know what happened that had Danny come to this decision on his own, but Danielle didn't question it, just thankful that things seemed to work themselves out on their own; happy beyond words that Danny would be her father.

"Aw, look, you made her cry! Bad Daddy!" Piped up Tucker.

It was then Danielle noticed Danny wasn't alone. Standing on the floor below them looking up was Sam, Tucker, and Jazz with playful grins on their faces.

Danny looked over his shoulder and pouted at them just as playfully. "I am not!"

They all broke out laughing at that, even Danielle, and Danny shot thankful glances to his friends and sister, understanding their teasing as the outward expression of the relief in their eyes.

"Oh, what is this? Has she awakened?" Frostbite asked as he approached the laughing group from behind. He came to stand next to a still floating Danny, grinning at him as he waited for the teen halfa currently with an arm around his stomach to catch his breath.

"Yes." Danny turned to face his giant friend, taking a few gulps of air to compose himself followed by a clearing his throat, figuring introductions were in order. "Frostbite, this is my daughter, Danielle.

"It is a honor to meet the daughter of the Great One," Frostbite said with a tilt of his head.

Danielle's blush returned ten fold at being addressed as Danny's daughter. It wasn't that she didn't enjoy it. Far from it, she enjoyed it a lot. It was just going to take some getting used to.

Danny then looked back at her. "Dani, this is Frostbite. He's the leader of the Far Frozen tribe and a good friend of mine who's helped me a lot. He's the one who taught me how to control my ice powers which is why I brought you here."

As expected, Danielle looked confused, so Danny continued explaining. "As my daughter, your ghost core consists of ice just like mine." He drifted over and pointed to the screen not too far from the chamber that displayed a black silhouette of Danielle's body and a blinking blue light in the center of her chest where her core was. "All the cold and shivering you've been feeling is due to your ice powers fully awakening."

An understanding began to dawn on Danielle and she nodded slowly as she looked at the screen, Danny's understandable explanation about her getting a new power nonetheless shocking. Danny drifted back to Frostbite, placing a hand on the giant's shoulder, patting it. "This power is native for Frostbite and his people, so once the chamber takes effect and you rest, Frostbite and I will teach you how to control your new power."

"What a treat it shall be for my people and I, to have the honor of training the Great One's daughter!" Frostbite proclaimed. Danny smirked to himself as he gave his friend a knowing look, fully aware of the double meaning behind those words. _'An honor, perhaps, but mostly it's just another way for them to be entertained.'_

"You think you'll be up to it?" Danny asked as he directed his attention back to Danielle.

She nodded at Danny firmly with a grin. "You bet!"

His smile widened, relieved to see some spunk back in her. With that settled, Danny drifted down to the floor where his friends and sister stood.

"You guys should probably start heading home."

All three teens looked at Danny baffled.

"Why would we do that?" Jazz asked first.

Danny had no problem listing off the reasons. "Because it's late, you guys need rest, there's school tomorrow, and who knows what kind of trouble you'll have to face from my parents once you get back to the lab, unless by some miracle they're still out chasing that ghost you guys made up."

"And what about you?" Tucker asked.

Eyes shut in concentration, Danny's entire body glowed neon green as he summoned his answer, taking only seconds to form another being beside him.

"Two Danny's…" Jazz uttered, blinking several times but otherwise unfazed as she stared at Danny and the duplicate he created, amazed more than anything to learn that he could do that.

"Just take 'me' with you, this way you won't have to make up a cover story."

Sam was the first to respond to that. "Yeah, no. That's not gonna happen. We're your friends and sister, Danny. We're family. And it's times like this when family should be together to support each other. In this case, you and Danielle."

"Yeah, dude," Tucker added. "And besides, what's better? Going back to be stuck in school or staying here book-free and having fun cheering on Danielle while she trains?"

"In any case, we're here for you, little brother, and your daughter," Jazz finished for them.

Danny stared long and hard at them before finally giving in with a smile, reabsorbing his duplicate. "Fine, you guys win," He said at last. "Thanks."

Much like he's done so many times before, Danny found himself thinking just how lucky he was to have them in his life. Especially in moments like this, were he could trust and rely on them to have his back in anything, from helping him battle ghosts and face danger to just choosing to remain at his side to show their support. It meant a great deal to him and he felt he could live a thousand years and never be able to completely express how thankful he was.

"It's not like we really have to worry about getting into trouble anymore," Sam spoke up again after a couple moments with a smirk on her face, fully intent on getting back on a lighter note just to mess with Danny. "All you have to do is work your butt off and over shadow all our parents and problem solved." Danny made a face at that while noting Sam's valid point.

"_Thanks_, Sam," Danny replied sarcastically as he remembered fondly how Danielle herself did that to get him and his friends out of trouble the first time they met. He looked up at Danielle to see her smiling from ear to ear, the words of Danny's friends and sister meaning as much to Danielle as they did Danny, if not more.

In one day, she didn't just gain a father, she gained a family; a supportive, loving family that didn't think twice about staying by her side regardless of their own well being and responsibilities elsewhere. That she was so easily accepted and welcomed into their lives as she was, she just didn't have the words to express her feelings.

So for now, all she could say to them was "Thank you."


	5. Chapter 5

Title: A Phantom's Ice Core Can Hold Some of the Warmest Love

Rating: T…I guess

Characters: Danny x Danielle father / daughter and perhaps some Danny x Sam if you squint

Words: 2648

Notes/Warnings: Phew! And here's chapter 5! Glad I managed to get it posted today, these monsoon storms have been quite the nuisance, but that's not news, they always have been. If all goes well, I believe there are just two more chapters left to go for this fic! I'm excited and proud I made it this far, heh. It's all thanks to you wonderful readers! So thank you so much for faving/following/ reviewing this fic, I really appreciate it, really I do! And thanks for giving this a read in advance I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: Danny Phantom is not mine.

Once it was decided that Sam, Tucker and Jazz would be staying with Danny and Danielle in the Realm of the Far Frozen, they were shown to a place where they could sleep as Danielle finished up in the chamber. Danny elected to stay behind and wait until she was done but sent his friends and sister ahead to go get settled in for the night, so to speak. Given that there was no way to tell time in the Ghost Zone, they were simply going by the fact that they had left their world in the late evening, which was a few hours ago now, along with the fact that their internal clocks were still ticking in sync with home and thus needed rest.

It hadn't taken any longer than a couple minutes more once the other three departed that Danielle was done with the chamber. Danny watched as a few tribesmen made quick work of getting the chamber emptied and opened, gently removing the helmet from Danielle's head and helping her down. Not a second after her bare feet met the floor she was embraced tightly by Danny, soaked and all. Danielle's arms instantly wrapped around his neck as she smiled against his shoulder, her wish from earlier of wanting to hug Danny now granted.

For Danielle, her mind was still trying to catch up and completely process everything that had happened upon her waking up, but with Danny here, she just felt that despite her still being fuzzy on the details, everything would now be alright; they always were whenever Danny was around. Just merely being held in his embrace could make it seem as if there was nothing to fear in the world so long as he was there. She felt completely protected thanks to Danny and it was because of this, Danielle was determined to do well with her training and utilize this new ice power of hers to do some protecting in return, namely, the protecting of herself and her newfound family.

For Danny, having Danielle in his arms like this was nothing short of relieving. Sure, he had been carrying her around in his arms for some time now since she had arrived in Amity Park, but she was unconscious, in discomfort, and he was worried out of his mind. He couldn't deny the parental mentality he was having then and now with the strong pull it had on his emotions. Now, more than anything, he was just thankful to see her awake, smiling, and safe; and he was going to make sure it remained like that, starting with getting her powers under control.

They remained wrapped in each others arms wordless for a few moments more, pulling away to allow the tribesmen to show Danielle to a room where she could get dried up and changed into her freshly washed clothes.

-0-o-0-

Following on the heels of two tribesmen, Sam, Tucker, and Jazz exited the medical facility, walking a ways across the village where they were escorted into a stone cave. There, torches were perched evenly on either side of the cave's walls that provided excellent lighting and warmth. They lead inside to a wider part of the cave that opened up into a dome shaped area where the torches on the wall came around full circle.

There on the ground in the center of the round expanse were five brown woven sacks that resembled sleeping bags arranged at a distance around a roaring fire in the shape of a half arc. Folded atop each sleeping bag was a cream-colored long-sleeve tunic meant for sleepwear. Over against the left side of the cave there was a table with five chairs around it and quite the feast laid out on top of it.

"Well it's no a hotel, but I think it'll work," Jazz commented. Sam voiced her agreement while Tucker headed straight to the food.

"I am glad to hear the arrangements please the friends of the Great One," Frostbite replied as he approached behind his tribesmen.

Jazz noticed he was alone. "Where are Danny and Danielle?"

"The Great One and his daughter shall arrive momentarily. As of right now, he is giving the Young One her much needed first lesson."

-0-o-0-

After Frostbite had showed where the others were staying, Danny took Danielle and placed some distance between them and the cave. While Danielle was certainly feeling more alert and had much more energy, she still felt extremely cold, her shivering coming back not too long after she was outside the chamber. She began to halfheartedly miss the comfort the glass enclosure had offered her as she tried to warm herself, her arms crossed against her chest, hands rubbing her upper arms furiously as she leaned forward curving into herself. Danny understood all too well what she was going through, which was why he wanted to be sure to give her lesson number one before they headed to sleep themselves (because in that condition, Danielle most likely wouldn't even be able to sleep to begin with).

Kneeling down on one knee so he could be at eye level with her, Danny put his hands on her shoulders, titling his head so he could see her face that was currently scrunched up in a grimace.

"Dani, you ready?" He asked gently.

She looked up at him and nodded several times, doing so as a substitute for speaking because she didn't think she could without her teeth chattering like crazy.

"Now I know this is going to sound weird at first, but I promise that once you pass this first hurtle the rest won't be nearly as hard," Danny said, sending her a reassuring smile before continuing. "The first lesson is to stop shivering."

Much like Danny did the first time he was told that by Frostbite, Danielle instantly cried out "I c-can't!"

"You _can_," Danny encouraged. "What you need to do is concentrate. Let the cold energy inside you build up until it has nowhere to go but out," He explained, clearly recalling Frostbites words.

"O-Okay, I'll t-try," Danielle said at length, unsure if she could pull it off but not wanting to give into defeat either. She wanted to make Danny proud, she wanted to gain control of her powers…and she just really wanted to stop shivering.

Danny nodded and stood up, taking exactly three steps back before creating a sphere shaped ecto-barrier around himself.

Danielle lifted an eyebrow. "W-What's that f-for?"

"You'll see soon enough," Danny said simply. "Just concentrate."

"O-Okay," She replied, closing her eyes tightly and taking a deep breath. Upon exhaling, Danielle tried hard to stir her focus away from how cold she was and instead to where it was originating: her core. Danny's instructions floated in her head as she concentrated, hoping her feeling as if she was slowly but surly beginning to manipulate the cold wasn't just her imagining it. She moved the cold energy away from her core and had it gather everywhere else within her body just beneath her skin. When she felt she let it build up long enough, she released the energy in a single motion, the force of doing so throwing her off her feet and onto her back. Eyes wide in shock, Danielle simply laid there catching her breath for a few moments, waiting. Then the realization hit her and she let out a cry of joy.

The shivering stopped.

"Daddy, I did it!"

She promptly sat up, ready to leap into the air until the sight directly in front of her made her stop short. Where Danny should have been standing with his ecto-barrier there was now an ice ball. It only stayed in tact for a second, however, as it began to crumble from the top down as Danny released the form.

"Way to go, Dani!"

Danielle sighed in relief upon hearing his voice; glad she didn't accidently hurt Danny, now fully understanding the need for his barrier.

With her concern gone came her curiosity. "So you knew that was going to happen?"

"Yeah, I didn't know back when Frostbite gave me my first lesson though, so I ended up freezing him solid," Danny admitted with a chuckle.

Danielle couldn't help but laugh, finding it hard to imagine the sight of Danny's giant friend frozen; her to do so only resulted in Danielle laughing harder.

The knowledge of her being free at last from the shivering on top of hearing her laughter put Danny at ease; all the edginess and worry that still clung to him from the beginning of this whole ordeal completely vanishing.

"So you feel better now, right, Dani?"

She nodded at him excitedly. "Yeah! It was actually easier than I thought!"

"The shivering may come back once or twice more after this, but now that you know how to make it go away, it shouldn't be a problem."

Danielle made sure to note that as she grinned at Danny, a sort of playful gleam making its way into her eyes.

"Race ya inside?"

"You are so on!"

And they were off neck and neck flying towards the cave; spectral tails propelling them forward at blazing speeds. The winds and cold of the Far Frozen did nothing to slow either of them down as they zoomed through the mouth of the cave, coming to a stop floating over the heads of their family in a matter of seconds.

Danny laughed. "I guess we tied."

"Yeah, I guess. But I'll beat you next time, Daddy," Danielle stated cheerfully.

"I look forward to it."

"Hey, there you guys are!" Tucker exclaimed from below.

The two phantoms looked down at their family with smiles and drifted to the ground.

Jazz came up to the two and hugged Danny and Danielle in turn. "How are you feeling, Dani?"

"Great! I finally stopped shivering!"

"Well that's good to hear!" Sam said. "I take it that you're alright now too, Danny?"

It wasn't a question and more of an observation. She, just like everyone else, could easily see how worried Danny had been throughout this entire ordeal. The way he had brightened up the moment Danielle woke up, and especially now, how relieved and happy he seemed to be spoke volumes about how anxious he had been.

It only took Danny a glance at Sam's crossed arms and the knowing look she gave to understand what she meant, and Danny rubbed the back of his neck in a bashful sort of way at learning how obvious he had been.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine."

"Alright then," Jazz began, starting at Danny. "That means you and Danielle can finally get some food in your stomachs, right?"

Again it wasn't a question and more of a command. While Jazz had prepared enough sandwiches for everyone to eat on the way to the Far Frozen, those that she had made for the phantom father and daughter had been left untouched. Danielle didn't eat for obvious reasons and Danny had stated that he would eat only after he knew Danielle was okay.

Danielle didn't need to be told twice as she floated over to the table, plopping herself in a chair next to Tucker, changing back to her human form in the process, not needing to be in her ghost form to chow down. It was truly a joy for her, to be able to just help herself to a meal that was offered to her rather than scavenge and steal. Danny followed suit, changing back to his human half as he made his way over to the table, both out of hunger and wanting to get Jazz and Sam off his case, smiling to himself all the same.

The rest of the 'night' went smoothly for the group. Once they had all enjoyed a feast they all got changed into their sleepwear thanks to Danny using his ice powers and making five ice walls for them to change behind. Sitting atop their respective sleeping bags kept warm by the fire, the group listened intently to Danielle as she told stories of her travels. She talked about the sights and sounds, the fun and pranks, as well as the close calls and the unfortunate occurrences. As eyelids became heavy and yawns escaped past lips, the group snuggled up, said their good nights, and fell asleep.

-0-o-0-

Danny blinked as he was gently awoken by something unknown. Lying on his back, he stared absently at how the light of the fire and torches danced across the walls of the cave. It was silent in there save for the crackle of flames and the soft breathing of the others as they slept. Despite being awakened, sleep was still pulling strongly at his mind as a yawn slipped out of him. He was going to stretch and fall back asleep, but a tug on his left arm stopped his motions and upon glancing down to see why, Danny chuckled softly.

At some point during her slumber, Danielle had reached out and took hold of Danny's sleeve with her right hand. A gentle smile crossed Danny's face as he watched Danielle sleep; glad to see a peaceful expression on her face and silently vowing to himself to make sure it stayed that way.

His mind wondered back to Danielle's stories from earlier and how bothered he felt as she spoke of some more unpleasant experiences. She mentioned how she had to steal her meals, how she crossed paths with dangerous criminals who saw her as nothing more than a helpless girl, and how she was almost exposed of her identity as a half ghost a few times when her energy was low due to her spending time in ghost form more than not, to list a few. While she had spoke in such an amused tone as she retold those instances, he knew without a doubt that they where anything but amusing when they originally took place. Hearing her speak of these things only fueled his resolve to give her a warm loving home, so that she would never have to experience anything of that sort again.

Focusing back to where Danielle's hand held his sleeve, Danny silently flipped on to his left side, gently prying her hand off his sleeve and instead took her hand in between both of his.

Even though physically there was only about a two-year difference between them, it amazed Danny how small her hand seemed compared to his. Nevertheless, he knew the great power that lie within those small hands of hers and even more so, the strength that lay within her heart. Certainly being gifted with ghost powers was an overall advantage for her, but she also had the will not to bend to others wishes and the determination to continue forward. Yet despite all this, one still has to remember that she is only a child.

Danny realized that in a sense he didn't have the right to talk, they were both still kids in all honesty. The difference between them as kids, however, lay in what they experienced. Unlike Danny, Danielle had no childhood; the circumstances of her development robbed her of those unique, precious, and crucial experiences that came with one's childhood, both the good ones as well as the bad. She had no family to help her along in life as she grew, to support her, to teach her, and to protect her…until now.

She had quiet the catching up to do, a whole twelve years worth, but she would not be alone because Danny, as her father, as someone who did have a childhood and grew up in a loving family, and as someone who was the only other being like her in the world that wasn't a fruitloop, was the only person who could help her in doing so… and he would do so gladly.


End file.
